On Monday, July 14, the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Review Committee will gather at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Conference Room, City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue. The purpose of the meetings is to tour sites proposed for improvement using $575,000 of WW bond funds and the City’s Capital Improvement Projects Fund.  The CIP Review Committee has been tasked with making recommendations to the City Council.

The tour and meeting is open to the public.

– CIP Review Committee Agenda –

1. Tour of Sites to be Considered for Possible CIP Funding

a. Piedmont Park; Community Hall Plaza, Amphitheater, and Terraces

b. Veterans Hall

c. Piedmont Community Pool

d. Dracena Park (Entry Way at Park Way & Dracena Avenue)

e. Coaches Field / Blair Park

f. Linda Beach Playfield (Howard Avenue Entrance)

g. Linda/Kingston Triangle

h. Crocker Park

i. Hampton Field

The sites will be visited in the order listed above. Each site visit will take approximately 15 minutes.

2. Working Lunch at Piedmont Park Tea House (Open to the public)

 There will be no public broadcast of the tour or the later CIP Review Committee discussion held over lunch at Piedmont’s Main Park Tea House. To learn about the issues, individuals should plan to attend the meeting and tour. Transportation from site to site has not been announced.

To date, none of the CIP meetings have been publicly broadcast.

The Brown Act precludes the committee members from holding discussions amongst themselves prior to reconvening in a meeting at the Tea House when consideration of the various sites will take place.   This will allow all committee members and the public to hear the deliberations.  During the tour, inquiries made to staff for a better understanding of issues and plans are permissible.

Given the complicated hoops to be jumped through to receive WW funds, the Council is likely to pursue one project rather than several. Two primary projects recently discussed by the City Council are:

– Renovation of Hampton Field’s grass playfield and tennis courts –

The City has invested in Beach Playfield, Coaches’ Field, Havens Playground, Witter Field, Hampton Field and Dracena Park.  All of which provide space for youthful activities.  Hampton Field, however, has not held up well over the years.  During wet weather, drainage is very poor significantly restricting playfield usage and causing debris to flow to a street surface.  The ever problematic tennis courts at Hampton have for decades been vulnerable to cracking with drifting sand creating hazards for players.  The City has an approved environmental document on record for Hampton Field and has recently acted to obtain construction documents to make the necessary improvements.

– Council approved enhancements and clean up of Blair Park –

Blair Park built on fill land was for generations used as a dumping ground for leaves and chipped trees. Invasive plants have damage trees and left much of the park area unusable.  The City recently took an emergency action to remove some unhealthy trees and branches that presented hazards to vehicles and park users.  Many remaining trees need attention to maintain their overall viability.  A sidewalk inside and along the roadway has been suggested as a way to enhance the park and encourage use while maintaining its open space character.  The City Council has approved a plan for Blair Park.  The park is a major gateway to Piedmont passed daily by thousands of individuals.

There are many desired projects, however some would not meet the criteria and timing required for WW bond funding.

Updated 7/14/14

Clear as Mud – 

Strange that we’re in a third year of drought with significant loss of snowpack in the Sierras – and few communities around the Bay Area have instituted mandatory water rationing.

In fact, Governor Brown’s request in January for a voluntary 20 percent cutback in water usage statewide was amended a month later by our East Bay Municipal Utility District, (EBMUD), to a voluntary cutback to 10%,  http://www.berkeleyside.com/2014/02/12/ebmud-asks-east-bay-customers-to-cut-water-use-by-10/  And, most recently, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, (SFPUC), the largest water district in the Bay Area, announced in an article by Paul Rogers in the Oakland Tribune that water-saving goals have been met and there will be no mandatory water rationing this summer:   http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_26019792/bay-areas-largest-water-district-say-no-mandatory

Is that so?  Apparently yes, according to Harlan Kelly, General Manager of the SFPUC, “There’s no doubt that we had a slow start, but I’m happy to report water use in the past several weeks has declined, and we are making up for lost time.”  He went on to say that essentially, the agency had met its goal of 10 percent voluntary conservation from January to May.  Done deal.

But Rogers points out in his article that a good portion of this water “savings” is based on the PUC’s higher estimation for water usage in this time period; thus, providing a 10 percent “reduction.”  In comparing actual water usage, however: this year’s usage compared to last year’s reflects less than 1 percent of water reduction.

Jay Land, Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis, suggests in the article that most water districts in the Bay Area still have “…fairly ample water supplies; it’s not dire for them yet.”  Let’s also remember: water districts are in the business of selling water.

  If we achieve our voluntary 10 percent water reduction figure set by EBMUD, the agency stands to lose 8 million dollars.

But to be fair, Bay Area communities have reduced water consumption over the years; EBMUD reports an 11 percent decrease in usage last year alone, and, overall, districts purchasing Hetch Hetchy water, which supplies 26 cities and private companies, have coordinated a steady reduction of consumption by 17 percent in the last 10 years. And this reduction has occurred as population in the region increased by 4 percent.  Good news; except, as other parts of the state have experienced severe water shortages and instituted mandatory cutbacks on water,http://mashable.com/2014/05/16/california-drought-residents/ – we in the Bay Area, and specifically in Piedmont, should consider this a wake-up call and take meaningful steps now in reducing water consumption by 10 percent in our city and homes.  EBMUD, in fact, offers different programs in conserving water, as reported by the PCA a few weeks ago:  http://www.piedmontcivic.org/2014/06/12/please-conserve-even-more-water/

But why, some of you still may wondering, should we consider mandatory water rationing when we have reduced consumption and our local water supply is okay?  Because the Sierra snowpack, providing a third of the state’s water – and all of ours, is compromised; down 32 percent from its average and at the lowest level since 1988.

In an excellent article, “From Mountaintop to Water Tap,” in Sunday’s Tribune on June 22, writer Lisa M. Krieger describes how Department of Water Resources engineer, Frank Gehrke, straps on cross country skis and trudges up the thin air on Mount Dana.  At 13,061 feet, it’s one of the highest peaks in the Tuolumne River watershed and it’s here where a tiny sensor records snowfall data. Gehrke checks the sensor and snowpack levels several times a year, but the most important recording is taken on April 1, before part of the pack melts and wends its way some 300 miles to the Bay Area.

This year, the sensor revealed 16.8 inches of snowpack, or just 40 percent of the historic annual average of 42 inches.  And it’s this snowpack, measured on Mt. Dana, that forms the basis for yearly water allocations and “drives the whole economy,” says Gehrke.  Moreover, measurements recording water flow taken miles downstream in Yosemite revealed a flow at just 81 cubic feet per second compared to usual spring flows ripping downstream at 300 to 1,000 cubic feet per second.  And if we still need convincing that our lawns should be reconsidered, Krieger reports that the ice pack on Lyell Glacier, the largest in Yosemite, has decreased by 60 percent since 1900. Discovered by John Muir in 1871, one wonders how long it will be around.

Taking into account these findings and prolonged drought conditions, it’s my intention to feature Piedmonters and city staff in a series of articles who are developing practical and ecologically responsible ways to respond to the very real demands of our changing environment, which include reduced water.

Your comments and input are crucial to the discussion.

Denise Bostrom, Piedmont Resident

The Planning staff and Commission have scheduled a “Town Hall” meeting inviting citizen input on plans to change Piedmont’s General Plan to accommodate increased low income and affordable housing, apartments above commercial buildings, and increased housing density.  New benefits are intended to increase second units to house low and very low income families. The June 26 meeting will take place in the lower level of the former Veterans Building in the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) of the Piedmont Police Department at 6:30 pm.

The General Plan changes proposed could affect every area of Piedmont.

The State is pushing all cities to increase housing density and to provide more low income and affordable housing.  In Piedmont, this is an especially difficult challenge because of land scarcity, high costs of properties, and desires to keep the community an essentially single family residential city per the City Charter.

Past recommendations to the City Council from the Planning Commission on General Plan changes have been accompanied by a list of previous briefings open to the public where information was presented. Few or no public individuals have attended recent briefings.  When recommendations are presented to the Council, they project that the public agrees with the changes.  Previous changes have been primarily staff and consultant developed.

 Additional information can be found on the City’s Housing Element page.

In an unusual “Town Hall” meeting format, there will be no public broadcast of the meeting.  Interested individuals need to attend the meeting to view the proceedings. Space and seating in the EOC is very limited.  

Special Meeting of the Piedmont Planning Commission

Thursday, June 26, 2014

6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

 Police Department Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

403 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“TOWN HALL MEETING ON HOUSING ELEMENT – The City’s Housing Element consultant will introduce the project, review the scope and purpose of the workshop, present a summary of Piedmont’s demographics and housing needs, as well as the State requirements for the Housing Element. The City’s existing housing policies and

The purpose of the Town Hall meeting is to invite input from Piedmont residents on the steps the City can take to better meet Piedmont’s housing needs during the next eight years. By law, Piedmont must demonstrate that it can accommodate 60 new housing units by 2023, including 38 units affordable to low and very low income households. Most of the meeting will focus on a discussion of how the City can meet State requirements for affordable housing during the next 8 years, with a particular focus on second units. Housing conservation, housing production, and housing for Piedmont residents with special needs will be discussed. Comments from current owners and tenants of second units, as well as the general public, are encouraged.”

_____________________________________________________

“Dear Piedmonter,

I am writing to encourage you attend a “Town Hall” meeting on housing, hosted by the Piedmont Planning Commission on Thursday June 26, 2014.  The meeting will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) meeting room on the lower level of the Police Department at 403 Highland Avenue in Piedmont. Light refreshments will be provided.

The purpose of the meeting is to invite input from Piedmont residents on the steps the City can take to better meet Piedmont’s housing needs during the next eight years.  All cities in the Bay Area are required by State law to adopt a new Housing Element by January 31, 2015.  The Housing Element sets forth goals, policies and action programs to ensure that Piedmont is doing its fair share to meet the region’s housing needs.  It addresses housing conservation, housing production, and housing for Piedmont residents with special needs.

Since October 2013, the Piedmont Planning Commission has held five study sessions on the Housing Element.  The City Council convened a study session on the Housing Element in May, 2014.  Both the Planning Commission and the City Council are expected to take action on a Working Draft of the Housing Element this summer, with adoption of a Final Housing Element by the end of the year.

The Town Hall meeting will include a short presentation on Piedmont’s demographics and housing needs, as well as the State requirements for the Housing Element.  The City’s existing housing policies and programs will be reviewed.   Most of the meeting will focus on a discussion of how the City can meet State requirements for affordable housing during the next 8 years. By law, Piedmont must demonstrate that it can accommodate 60 new housing units by 2023, including 38 units affordable to low and very low income households.  Most of this need will be met through second units.

The City has established a link on its webpage with additional information about the Housing Element.  Please visit www.ci.piedmont.ca.us for additional information, or call me at 420-3063.

Please feel free to email comments to me at kblack@ci.piedmont.ca.us, send them via US mail to Planning Commission, c/o Kate Black, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611, or drop them off at City Hall.”

                  Kate Black, Piedmont City Planner

For more information go to:

Piedmont’s Housing Element 

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) water distribution system includes about 4,100 miles of pipe with the average age being 53-years-old. According to Director of Engineering  Xavier Irias, “50 years is not old for a pipe. It’s just middle-aged. Some pipes last for 100 years. Ripping out everything and starting over doesn’t make sense.”

The infrastructure renewal program is mostly based on leak rate, not age of pipe. Cast iron pipes from the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s leak more than the very thick-walled cast iron pipes from the late 1800’s. Asbestos cement pipe is more age sensitive than cast iron pipe; over time calcium leaches out of asbestos cement pipe, accelerating its deterioration. Slip-lining is a possible rehabilitation option for the asbestos cement pipe when the hydraulics allow for a reduction in pipe diameter.

The single most important cause of pipe failure is unstable soil; for example, in filled land or land slide areas. Each year EBMUD replaces less than .2% of the total network, a replacement cycle of 400 years. Of the current 10 miles per year, one to two miles will be replaced using horizontal directional drilling in place of open trench installation, but only in flat residential neighborhoods with straight pipe alignments and minimal utility conflicts. Over the coming decades the goal is to increase the annual replacement rate to 40 miles of pipe per year, or 1% of the pipe system.

– Public access is limited when some School and City meetings on finances, budgets, zoning, planning, education, and others are held away from cameras and recording devices leaving only hearty individuals viewing important civic matters. –

Citizens, who want to know first hand how and why some civic decisions are formulated, will need to personally go to the many unrecorded, out of the way meetings.  Some are noted below. 

Transparency has been a great interest in Piedmont.

From the undergrounding of utilities, Blair Park development, sewer costs, Alan Harvey Theater design, parcel taxes, and so on, Piedmonters have expressed concern over the lack of access and transparency of underlying pivotal civic decisions.

During a recent Council Budget session, it was noted that hundreds of viewers have gone to the City’s website to view live streamed and prerecorded meetings on their home computers. Home viewers can also watch broadcasted meetings on their televisions via Comcast Channel 27. The City does not know how many home viewers use the service and, according to Comcast, data is not collected. Piedmont’s public broadcasting station, KCOM, generally reruns recorded meetings on Channel 27 and makes them available through the City website. 

Despite the availability of space and broadcasting equipment, meetings are often scheduled where public access is difficult and home viewing is impossible. 

Frequent locations of the less accessible meetings are: Piedmont Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the Police Department, the Council Conference Room in City Hall and the School District Executive Offices below Millennium High School. These locations do not have broadcast equipment. 

Noted below are some of the City and School meetings that are only available to those present at the meetings, not home viewers.  

Examples of non-broadcasted meetings are:

– Piedmont Unified School District-

Budget Advisory Committee: The committee, under the direction of the School Superintendent and officially designated in the recent parcel tax ballot measure, makes recommendations through the Piedmont Unified School District Superintendent to the School Board on budgets and taxation.  The committee is an amorphous group ranging from teachers, school staff, parents, Board members, community members, and others who attend the publicly announced meetings.  School District staff members present to the committee information on the fiscal condition of the District and educational programs.  A member of the Board of Education is typically present at the Budget Advisory Committee meetings. The meetings are open to the public and are usually held in the School District Executive Offices.  There are no electronic recordings or broadcasts of the meetings.

  Measure A School Support Tax Subcommittee:  The members of the subcommittee are selected from the Budget Advisory Committee attendees.  Three residents are selected for the Subcommittee. The voter approved Measure A parcel tax requires the Subcommittee to review the fiscal condition of the School District and advise the School Board annually on the need and range of the Measure A parcel tax levy having a base of $2,406 per parcel. This year the Subcommittee recommended that the Board levy the maximum tax, a 2% increase on the base.  The Subcommittee provides the School Board with a written report on their recommendations. The Subcommittee meetings are not publicly noticed and are not open to the public. There are no recordings or broadcast of their meetings. 

– City of Piedmont –

Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee:  The committee members are appointed by the City Council and make recommendations to the City Council. Staff presents the fiscal condition of the City and the committee makes wide ranging recommendations to the Council on pensions, bond measures, budgeting, employee compensation, capital expenditures, fund reserves, taxes, and maintenance.  The committee has recently suggested a tax increase for sewers. Meetings are publicly noticed and open to the public. At the City’s recent Brown Act training seminar, the Acting City attorney instructed attendees that the Committee is a Brown Act body requiring notice and minutes. The meetings are generally held in the Police Department Emergency Operations Center (EOC) with no broadcasts or recordings.

City Council Budget Work Sessions:  The City Council annually meets to hear presentations from City staff on the upcoming fiscal year budget. The meetings are publicly announced and open to the public. The meetings are held in the Police Department Emergency Operations Center using a round table format. The sessions are pivotal to budget decisions.  No video recordings or broadcast of the meetings are produced.

Piedmont Planning Commission:  The Planning Commission will hold a “Community Meeting on the Housing Element” in a location known for close quarters and no cameras, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the Police Department. The Planning Director and planning consultant announced that an “opportunity” for the community to voice their opinions on Piedmont’s proposed Housing Element was set for June 26 in the EOC.  The Housing Element could be controversial as it presents new regulations regarding increasing second units, adding affordable housing, building apartments on top of commercial buildings, assessing multiple unit zoning, and reducing taxes on affordable units.  There will be no broadcast or recordings of this meeting.

Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Review Committee:  The CIP committee provides advice on how to spend millions of capital dollars.  The City Council appoints five members of the committee.  The other three members are: one, selected by and from the Piedmont Garden Club’s Piedmont Beautification Foundation; one, from the Recreation Commission; and one, from the Park Commission.   Money reserved by the City in the CIP fund has been used for numerous purposes including beautification projects, street and sidewalk improvements, recreational facilities, landscaping, and $2 million for underground utility problems. The meetings are publicly noticed.  An upcoming meeting on how to allocate $500,000 of WW Bond funds is to be held in the Council Conference Room.  There will be no broadcast of the meetings.

City Council Interviews of Applicants for Appointed City Positions, such as Commissions and Committees:  Annually, the City Council makes appointments to fill open positions on commissions and committees.  Although not specifically designated as financial positions, many of the members of the City’s various appointed committees and commissions routinely make recommendations with financial implications.  The sessions are publicly noticed and open to the public. The meetings have been held in the small City Council Conference Room. Public records do not include the names of applicants, and only those applicants who are appointed are publicly announced.  The Council’s interviews are not broadcast or otherwise recorded.

City Seminars on the Brown Act and Rules of Procedure: Two meetings in May to “train” elected and appointed officials on factors governing Piedmont meetings were held.  Notice was not provided of the meetings, and the meetings were not open to the public.   Councilmembers, commissioners, and appointed committee members were invited to the meetings held in the Council Chambers. During one of the meetings, a video was produced by the City and is available here.  No live broadcasts of the meetings were produced.

Meetings that can regularly be viewed by Comcast subscribers on Channel 27 and on home computers via live streaming are: City Council, Park, Planning, and Recreation Commissions, School Board, and from time to time various ad hoc committees.

  To view live and previously broadcast meetings, go to the City website at:

http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/video/

East Bay MUD Urges Continued Voluntary Restrictions –

After annual reductions in water consumption, customers are asked by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to find more areas for reduced use following a very dry winter. EBMUD Ward 3 Director Katy Foulkes convened a meeting on July 11 in Orinda to present reports on water operations, conservation, engineering and water supply to community leaders from throughout her District, that includes Piedmont, El Sobrante, Moraga, Orinda, parts of Lafayette, Oakland Berkeley Hills, Oakland, Pinole, Richmond and Berkeley. Foulkes  represents the largest ward in EBMUD, which includes all of their water sheds. Piedmont is home to Foulkes, where she served on the City Council and as Mayor prior to her election to the EBMUD Board of Directors 20 years ago.

Despite 11% reductions last year, the requested voluntary reduction this year is 10% more than last year’s usage.

Recognizing that so much conservation has already been achieved, EBMUD has several programs to help customers find additional conservation opportunities. Any homeowner may request a free in-home water audit, which will include testing of shower heads and toilet flow rates, an assessment of landscaping, irrigation systems, watering schedules, and a search for leaks, a major source of water loss. EBMUD offers free shower heads and faucet aerators for fixtures that are not low-flow models. The first step is the homeowner’s WaterSmart survey.

Rebates of up to $2,500 per household are offered for water conservation upgrades inside the home or the creation of a drought tolerant landscape.

Request a free WaterSmart Survey Kit here.

After completing the survey, request an in-home water audit here.

California and Piedmont are experiencing an increase in the number of reported illnesses due to pertussis (whooping cough).

• As of May 2014, California has received reports of 2,649 cases of pertussis, more than triple than the number of cases in the same period last year.
• The disease is cyclical and peaks every 3-5 years. The last peak in California occurred in 2010 and it is likely another peak is underway.
• Infants too young to be fully immunized remain most vulnerable to severe and fatal cases of pertussis. One infant has died this year from pertussis
• More than 90 percent of this year’s reported pertussis cases have been in children younger than 18 years of age. Outbreaks of pertussis in elementary, middle, and high schools have been reported throughout the state. In Alameda County (where we have had 120 cases reported to date in 2014), there has been increased pertussis activity in the communities of Livermore, Piedmont and Alameda, as well as clusters of disease in other cities.

What you can do?

• People of all ages can become ill with pertussis (whooping cough). Children younger than 6 months of age are the most vulnerable to serious illness if they develop pertussis.
• Pregnant women should receive a Tdap, booster shot, during the 3rd trimester of each pregnancy. This helps provide passive immunity to their newborn babies, who are too young to be vaccinated. Everyone (parents, grandparents, siblings, other household and child-care contacts), who will be in close contact with the infant should also be vaccinated before the infant is born.
• Young infants are further protected when parents, caregivers, siblings and healthcare workers stay up to date on pertussis vaccinations.
• California schools require that all students entering 7th grade provide documentation of Tdap vaccination.
• The symptoms of pertussis vary by age. For children, a typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks. The cough then worsens and children may have rapid coughing spells that end with a whooping sound. Young infants may not have typical pertussis symptoms and may have no apparent cough. Parents may describe episodes in which the infant’s face turns red or purple. For adults, pertussis may simply be a cough illness that persists for several weeks.
• People with symptoms should see their health care provider for testing, diagnosis, and treatment before returning to work or school.

Resources:

Fact sheets for families

Fact sheet for pregnant women

California Department of Public Health Website

Alameda County Public Health Department website

Information provided by the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency and Public Health Department

ALAMEDA COUNTY HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY Alex Briscoe, Director

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Director, Health Officer Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Erica Pan, MD, MPH, Director & Deputy Health Officer 1000 Broadway, Ste 500 Sandra Huang, MD, TB Controller & CD Controller, Oakland, CA 94607

Tel (510) 267-3250  Fax (510) 268-2111

An annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) fee of $9.55  per residential unit was approved on a 12-3 vote with 2 absences by the 17 member Alameda County Waste Management Authority (WMA) Board. The fee will be placed on Alameda County property tax statements.

Prior fees generated from solid waste going to county landfills have been significantly reduced as waste has been diverted by recycling. A new source of income was sought by the Authority to maintain and improve the  hazardous waste disposal program in the county.

Did the Piedmont City Council take a position on the HHW fee or direct its representative how to vote on the fee?

July 15, 2013, Council minutes indicate that Planning Technician Feeley reported on HHW fee options being developed by Stopwaste.org staff. In the March 17, 2014 minutes Councilmember Rood announced that Stopwaste.org will receive the protest votes against the $9.55 annual HHW fee and the Board would vote on whether or not to impose the surcharge. April 7, 2014 minutes –Councilmember Rood announced that Stopwaste.org continued consideration of the $9.55 HHW fee to the April 23 meeting. Council action was not found in Council minutes.

Questions had been raised regarding the legal right of the Authority to place a fee on property tax statements without gaining voter approval.  Approximately 50,000 individuals protested the fee.

“Critics contend the proposed fee is unnecessary, and so is the agency trying to collect it.”

Voting against the fee were Don Biddle of the Dublin City Council, Dave Sadoff of the Castro Valley Sanitary District and Jerry Pentin of the Pleasanton City Council. Piedmont’s representative on the Authority, Councilmember Tim Rood, voted to approve the fee.

Laython Landis, a long time WMA Board member representing the Oro Loma Sanitary District, has watched the Authority grow to a $24 million operation with 42 employees. Landis stated the entire Waste Management Authority, also known as StopWaste.org, is inefficient and should be dismantled.

Read reports on the fee and StopWaste.

Alameda County Waste Management Authority News Release:

Expanded hours for drop-off facilities and public events will increase collection of hazardous materials for Alameda County residents.

OAKLAND – At its May 28th meeting, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority Board adopted a new household hazardous waste fee of $9.55 per year per residential unit. The fee goes into effect July 1, 2014 and will be collected via the property tax roll.

Revenue from the fee will be used to support the countywide household hazardous waste program, which provides safe, legal, environmentally sound collection and disposal services for residential household hazardous waste such as paint, solvents and pesticides. The fee will support expanded services to all residents in Alameda County, including additional and regular drop-off hours and mobile collection events held throughout the county.

“The decision to move forward with a new fee was a challenging one for our Board and Agency, and some members of the public as well,” said Alameda County Waste Management Authority (dba StopWaste) Board Vice-President Jennifer West. “But the consequences of not adopting it and improper disposal of hazardous wastes were too great.” Authority Executive Director Gary Wolff added, “Owners of residences will benefit from the expanded services this fee will provide by keeping hazardous waste where it belongs. Improper disposal not only harms people and the environment, but could result in future sewer or garbage rate increases larger than the fee due to illegal disposal into sewers or garbage or recycling containers.”

The HHW collection program is currently paid for through a per-ton fee on municipal solid waste disposed in landfills. However, the fee has not changed since 2000 and the program would have been cut back dramatically without the additional funding.

Read an additional report on the fee.

A Piedmont volunteer is needed to serve on the Alameda County Paratransit Advisory Planning Committee (PAPCO). The Committee meets on the fourth Monday of every month from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Alameda County Transportation Commission Offices in Oakland. Members are appointed to a two-year term. Any resident who uses public transportation services available to seniors and persons with disabilities is eligible to apply.

Read the PAPCO application form and flyer .

Visit the Alameda County Transportation Commission website, call at 510-208-7400, or email Mayor Margaret Fujioka at mfujioka@ci.piedmont.ca.us for further information.

Piedmont’s Fire Chief Warren (Bud) McLaren has issued a press release.

The Piedmont Fire Department reminds residents that the 2014 Fire Season has been declared and that creating and maintaining Defensible Space is critical for the protection of their homes.

“This year we are preparing for the increased fire risk due to lack of rainfall and resulting drought conditions.” said Fire Chief Bud McLaren.

Piedmont Fire inspectors will be educating residents and evaluating properties to make sure they are in compliance with Piedmont’s city ordnance for fire hazard abatement.

Here are some tips that can help homes survive wildfires:

• Maintain a Defensible Space around all structures.

• Clear all needles and leaves from roofs, eaves and rain gutters.

• Trim branches 6 feet from the ground.

• Landscape with fire resistant and drought tolerant plants.

• Trim branches away from roofs, and 10 feet from the chimney.

• Keep wood piles and flammable materials 30 feet from the home.

• Use fire resistant building materials.

For more information on preparing for Fire Season and Defensible Space contact:

Piedmont Fire Department or visit the Fire Station at:

Piedmont Fire Department

120 Vista Avenue

Piedmont, Ca 94611

510-420-3030

Any day from 8:00 am through 6:00 pm